Winfred Yavi cruises to world record in Brussels Diamond League

This marked the fastest time ever recorded in the event and added another milestone to the Kenyan-born Bahraini’s remarkable career.

This year, the women did not run the classic 3000-metre steeplechase at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, but the much shorter one-mile steeplechase, and it is one of the new disciplines that World Athletics wants to test.

Olympic champion in 2024 and Diamond League champion in 2023, Yavi has established herself among the greatest 3000m steeplechasers in history in recent years.

“It felt really good today, I’m happy with the victory. I was able to keep pushing. Although I had hoped to run a little faster. It’s an unusual distance and I had to run faster than I normally do. It felt harder than the 3000 metres. I had to adjust my jumps because I was approaching the barrier faster,” she said in a post-race interview.

As an additional discipline, the race will not count towards qualification for the Diamond League Final in Zurich on August 27-28.

Yavi has already booked her ticket to the season finale, cruising to qualification with her victory in Eugene and two second-place finishes in Doha and Oslo.

At the same venue, world record holder Agnes Ngetich underlined her supremacy over 5000m with a commanding win in the penultimate circuit.

The Kenyan went out hard on world record pace, soloing to 14:24.99 and finishing six seconds clear of Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw (14:31.51) and Aleshign Baweke (14:31.88). Spain’s Marta Garcia set a national record in fifth (14:33.40).

“I wanted a PB, but I had to push alone,” said Ngetich. “My focus now is to medal at the World Championships.”

Ngetich, who is part of Kenya’s formidable quartet of African champion Janeth Chepngetich, double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet and triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, vowed to dominate the women’s 10,000m and 5000m at the World Championships in Tokyo this September.

Mercy Adongo Oketch impressed in the non-Diamond League women’s 400m, clocking 51.26, while teenage star Phanuel Koech placed second in the men’s 1500m in 3:31.41, just behind Dutch prodigy Niels Laros (3:30.58).

Other Kenyan highlights included Nelly Chepchirchir's third in the women’s 1500m (3:57.35), Caroline Nyaga’s eighth in the 5000m (14:36.90), and Abraham Kibiwot’s fourth in the steeplechase (8:11.26) as Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean secured a historic win.

Former world champion Julius Yego threw 80.50m for fifth in javelin, while Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala placed seventh in the invitational 100m race in 10.49.

The Brussels meet closed the Diamond League circuit ahead of next week’s Zurich finale.